Who Is a Christian?

The title of this book is a short question. In its longer form,

the question would be: “In the changed circumstances after the

2ndVatican Council—with its theme of aggiornamento or ‘updating’,

especially in the areas of the Bible, the Liturgy, Ecumenism,

and openness to the modern world—what does it really mean to

be a Christian today?”

Balthasar begins by acknowledging the confusion of many in

the post-Conciliar period. He then describes the valuable contributions

of the Council in those four areas. But he also describes their

“shadows”: what could go wrong and often did go wrong. Finally

he points out the path to genuine renewal in the personal life of

the Christian and in the Christian’s service of the world.

Among the key topics and issues Balthasar discusses that are

important for the authentic renewal of the Christian life include:

The Primacy of Contemplation, Who Is a ‘‘Mature Christian’’?,

Love, The Form of the Christian Life, How Should a Christian

Serve the World—and How Not?, Despite Everything, a Single

Commitment , and Prayer, Hope, and the Profane.

“We must therefore resolve to turn around and approach what

seemed to be behind us as something before us. To have the question

before us, ‘Who is a Christian?’, together with our effort to

answer it, is the right approach, for the answer will necessarily

come to us from the source from which our Christian life itself is

given, namely, God’s living Word . . . We rightly find God in the

sign of Word and Sacrament, but only in order to seek him ever

more passionately where he is not and where we must bring him.

Or, rather where he already dwells unseen, and where we must

discover him.”-Hans Urs von Balthasar

AUTHOR

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-88), a Swiss theologian and priest,

is considered by many the most important Catholic theologian of

the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote

over one hundred books and many hundreds of articles. A favorite

theologian and spiritual writer of Pope Francis, as well as

the two previous Popes, he was called "the most cultured man

of our time" by Henri de Lubac, and Karl Rahner described his

achievements as "really breathtaking."